Why You Might Want to Consider Tinting Your Brows

If you've ever taken a minute to shape, brush, or fill in your brows (or caught a glimpse of Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones) then you're no stranger to the notion that well-groomed brows can do wonders for your face. And one way to do that is with brow tinting. Sure, it sounds a bit high maintenance, but a quick coloring of your brows and you no longer have to fuss with a makeup bag full of gels, pencils, and mousses each morning. We spoke to makeup artist Stevi Christine—who came in to the Allure offices last week to groom and tint some of our brows—to find out why you might want to consider defining your arches in this interesting way.

"The main reason most women need to tint their brows is due to years of overtweezing," says Christine. But self-sabotage isn't the only factor. "Brows naturally lighten from the sun, which means the ends of our brows are sometimes not as prominent as the inner corners." Heck, even age can affect them. "The older we get, the more our brows seem to fade away, so tinting is a great way to help make them look fuller and more pronounced," she says.

The key is finding the right tone and shape to accentuate your face shape, complement your skin tone, and make your eyes pop. "Although I love dark, bold brows, certain skin tones and hair color combinations look best with softer, brighter brows," says Christine. For example, Christine used two different-colored tints on our blonde-haired beauty director, Jenny Bailly. She tinted the tails of Bailly's brows a darker hue to make them appear fuller and used a more golden one along the top of the brows to help brighten them. "Rule of thumb is to accentuate what you have naturally and not go overboard," says Christine.

Similar to hair coloring, there is some maintenance involved with tinting. Christine uses a vegetable dye, which lasts about three to four weeks. "It varies per person, but the average client comes in every four to eight weeks for a touch-up. But if you're someone who does a lot of exercising—like SoulCycle, hot yoga, or running—where you'll be sweating a lot, you might need to touch up more frequently," says Christine. So why tint instead of simply penciling them in? "Tinting looks much more natural, and you won't see any of the little marks that your pencil can leave behind," says Christine. "Plus, more pronounced brows allow you to wear less makeup and help you look younger. Think about it—Cindy Crawford never seems to age, and part of it is thanks to her strong, full brows."